Television personality Chip Gaines defended the inclusion of a same-sex couple in “Back to the Frontier,” a new show featuring him and his wife, Joanna, about families who give up technology and try to live as homesteaders did in the 1800s.
The show features married couple Jason Hanna and Joe Riggs and their 10-year-old twin sons, sparking backlash from prominent religious conservatives online.
Franklin Graham, the son of evangelical pastor Billy Graham, said in a post on social media that the casting of a gay couple is “very disappointing.”
“While we are to love people, we should love them enough to tell them the truth of God’s Word,” Graham said. “His Word is absolute truth. God loves us, and His design for marriage is between one man and one woman. Promoting something that God defines as sin is in itself sin.”
Gaines responded to the criticism in a social media post Sunday, encouraging people to ask questions and “maybe even learn.”
He added, “It’s a sad Sunday when ‘non believers’ have never been confronted with hate or vitriol until they are introduced to a modern American Christian.”
Gaines has responded to dozens of other critics in defense of Hanna and Riggs’ inclusion in the show, quoting Bible verses and saying there are other TV shows critics could watch.
In response to a critic who said “we are extremely sad because of how much we have grown to admire and appreciate you both,” Gaines responded encouraging Christians to “judge not” and “love one another.”
Hanna thanked Chip and Joanna Gaines in a post on his Instagram story Tuesday for “leading with love, listening, and learning.”
“Representation matters deeply — especially for those who are still finding the courage to live their truth,” Hanna said in a longer post responding to the backlash from some conservatives. “When families like ours are visible, it opens doors for others to feel safe, loved, and validated. Visibility isn’t just about being seen; it’s about making sure no one feels alone.”
The couple has faced backlash before, but more often from those who support LGBTQ rights. They attend the Antioch Community Church, an evangelical church in Waco, Texas, which opposes same-sex marriage. In a 2021 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Joanna Gaines said accusations that the couple is racist and anti-LGBTQ are “so far from who we really are” and that the criticism is “the stuff that keeps me up.”
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